Filter-sand washing machine



Dec. 9, 1939. M. L. BAYARD ET AL 1,734,798

FILTER SAND WASHING MACHINE Filed May 2. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l IIYVENTORS 164mm), fl/mvzx Dec. 9, 1930. M. BAYARD ET AL 1,784,798

FILTER SAND WASHING MACHINE Filed May 2. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 1930. M. 1.. BAYARD ET AL 1,784,798

FILTER SAND WASHING MACHINE Filed May 2, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet s M. L. BAYARD ET AL FILTER SAND WASHING MACHINE Dec. 9, 1930.

Filed May 2. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS Mag/W's L. 5/77/760. /W/NOR ///7/?V'Y,

T ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MORRIS L. I BAYARD AN D MINOR HARVEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNIA FILTER-SAND WASHING MACHINE Application filed May 2, 1928. Serial No. 274,376.

Our invention relates to a new and useful filter sand washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine of the tractor type, that is, one mounted on a self propelled or automotive vehicle.

In washing the sand layer of a filter bed it is desirable that the sand be washed in place, by injecting clean water into said sand with or without agitating the latter, and withdrawing the used or turbulent water into which the scum and sludge formed on the sand layer has been dissolved.

To effect this object, various devices have been employed, such as a washing head having a series of nozzles which penetrate into the sand layer to pump clean water-thereinto, said Washing head being mounted on a vehicle adapted to travel back and forth over the sand bed. To prevent the wheels of such :0 vehicles, which are necessarily heavy, from sinking into the sand or from packing the sand through excessive weight, the tractor type of vehicle, that is, one provided with an endless tread belt, has been used. While this tread belt distributes the weight over a relatively large area to prevent the packing of the sand, and while it does not sink into .the sand bed, it still greatly adds to the dead weight of the machine and due to its con- 3o struction, it calls for a greater amount of driving or operating power," as will-be apparent.

It is the object of our invention to provide a washing machine for the sand layers of a filter bed, which is adapted to travel over a sand bed without packing the latter or sinking thereinto, and at the same time to eliminate the use of a tread belt, thus reducing the weight of the machine and the amount 40 of power needed to drive or run the same.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a sand washing machine which is ofa light construction and one which while built and operated on the principles of the tractor type of machine is also self buoyant to the end that only a minimum pressure, is exerted on the sand bed per unit area.

Our invention further relates to a filter sand washing machine which, while operated by the same source of power which propels the supporting vehicle, may nevertheless be operated at various speeds or stopped completely, irrespective of the propulsion or stopping of said supporting vehicle.

Our invention further relates to a filter sand washing machine, which will operate to clean the sand layer of the filter bed uniformly and to any desired depth.

Our invention further relates to a filter sand washing machine which is of a durable and simple construction, and one which has its washing elements adjustable with respect to the surface of the filter bed being washed and cleaned.

To the above ends, our invention consists of a supporting frame or chassis, a plurality of driving and driven wheels carried by said chassis, said wheels being hollow and having a relatively large tread, means for driving said wheels, a force pump. and a suction pump mounted on said chassis and adapted to force water into the filter sand and to withdraw the used water therefrom, and a washing head provided with washing nozzles adapted to penetrate and agitate the, sand being washed.

Our invention further consists in various novel features of construction and advantage, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention we' have shown in the accompanying drawings two forms thereof which are at present preferred by us, since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization ofthe instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a washing machine embodying our invention, certain parts being shown in section.

' Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents a view similar to that of Fig, 1 showing a modified form of our invention.

Fig. 5 represents in plan a detailed view of the upper portion of the washing head seen in Fig. 4:.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a tractor type of filter sand washing machine mounted on a frame or chassis comprising upper and lower longitudinal, horizontal beams 1 and 2 connected by means of front and rear uprights 3, call assembled and secured together in any desirable manner. The tractor is provided with the front and rear driven wheels 6 and 7 and the front and rear driving wheels 4 and 5, said driving and driven wheels-being operatively connected by the sprocket chains 8 which pass over the sprocket wheels 9, fast on the axles 10. An engine or motor 11 of any suitable design is suitably mounted on the upper horizontal beams 1 of the chassis, and is provided with the clutch mechanism 12, whereby the engine may be totally disconnected. A second clutch mechanism 13 controls and connects or disconnects the engine 11 with respect to the transmission 15 which drives the driving wheels 4 and 5, while a third clutch mechanism 14 is employed to disconnect the engine from the force pumpi16and discharge and suction pump 17, in a' well known manner. said pumps being driven by the common engine shaft 14w. An inverted cup shaped washing head 20 composed of the top wall 21 and the annular wall 22, the latter having the bottom flange 23, is suspended by the chain 24, one end of which is secured to the frame 19 as at 25, and the other end of which is secured to the roller or drum 26 after passing over the rollers 27 which are secured to the top wall 21 of the head 20, whereby said head may be raised and lowered by turning the handle 28 to adjust the height thereof in the usual manner. A vertical stem 30 passing through the top 21 of the head 20 and through the transverse beam 31 secured to the uprights which in turn are secured to the 1 lower beams 2, is provided with the hand wheel 33 at its upper threaded end and with a bracket 34; pivoted to its lower end as at 35. The bracket 34 carries the transverse tubular member 36 on which are fast a series of hollow washing nozzles 37, so that by turning the hand wheel 33 the angular inclination of said nozzles with respect to the sand bed 38 may be regulated. The force pr 1 16 forces clean water into the filter be through the pipe 39, the tube 40, the hos nection 41. the tube 42, and the tubular ber 36, and through the nozzles 3'7.

weep/es charge on the mainland, or outside of the the shafts 57 which are journalled in the brackets 58. Fast on the shafts 57 are the arms 59, to the upper ends of which are connected the brake rods 60 and to the lower ends of which are connected the brake rods 61, said brake rods leading to the rear and front brake levers 63 and 64 respectively. The brake levers 63 and 64 are pivoted as at 66 and are connected at their free ends to the brake bands 68 passing around the brake drums 70 which are fast on the shafts 72 which actuate the front and rear Wheels 4 and 5 in a manner hereinafter described. Thus by manipulating the steering wheels 53 the brake bands 72 may be tightened around their respective brake drums to reduce or stop the revolutions of their respective front and rear wheels 3 and 4, thereby turning or eflecting a change in the direction of travel of the tractor, it being understood that if the brakes are applied to the left hand side rear and front wheels, the machine will turn to the left hand side of the operator and vice versa.

A front drive shaft 75 and a rear drive shaft 76 extend from the common transmission 15 to the front and rear wheels 4 and 5 respectively, and are connected with the engine 11 through the clutch mechanism 13 in the usual manner. Referring now to Fig. 2,.

it will be seen that the shafts 75 and 76 are within housings'79 and carry the antifriction their outer ends with the pinions 88, whichv mesh with the internal gears 90 fast on the axles 10 of the front and rear wheels 4 and 5. The axles 10 of the front and rear wheels 4' and 5 are provided with the hubs 94 which carry the sprocket wheels 9 and are provided with the bushings 95. 96 designates supporting plates secured to the lower beams or 7 channel irons 2 and supporting the housing 78 and its adjuncts, said beams also supporting the axles 16 of the wheels 4-, and 5 and supporting the brackets 100. for the shafts 72, which latter are provided with conventional bearings 102. The axles 10 are provided with the inner and intermediate bushings 97 and 98, which carry the elongated sleeves 99.

The wheels 4, 5, 6, and 7 are hollow, as will be seen from Fig. 2, and are provided with the relatively wide treads 106 and the end closures 101. 108 designates centrally disposed reinforcing webs, or. plates, which support and reinforce the tread 106, said plates havingthe spacing members 105. By proriding the wheels 4 and 5 with the wide base or tread 106 the load carried by said wheels is distributed over a relatively great area, thus guarding against undue compression of the sand over which the washing machine travels, and preventing the sinking of the wheels into said sand. The hollow wheels 4 and 5, having a relatively great volumetric displacement, act as buoys or pontoons for the filter washing machines, sothat only a fraction of the weight of the machine is exerted on the sand of the filter bed, thus further guarding against undue compression and packing of the sand, and facilitating the driving or propulsion of the washing ma chine. By our novel construction we elimi-' nate the necessity for a tread belt or the like ordinarily used on tractor type of washing and other machinery, since we provide wheels having a relatively wide tread which prevents their sinking into the sand of the filter bed and which distribute the load over a relatively great area. Furthermore, as is well known, it requires more power to drive a tractor provided with tread belts than one provided with wheels so that by our novel construction we effect considerable economy in the consumption of power. Further to decrease the efi'ective load on the sand bed per unit area and to lessen the weight to be propelled, we provide the buoy or pontoon wheels which are air tight and which being buoyant tend to float the washing machine, so that but a fraction of its effective weight is exerted on the sand and requires to be propelled, with obvious attendant advantages. To facilitate the steering or turning of the machine, we employ aseries of brakes applied to the two sides of the machine and by the independent manipulation of which the machine can be turned from one side to another or stopped. Thus, if it is desired to make a right hand turn, the right hand side brakes are applied, thus slowing down or stopping the revolution of the wheels on the right hand side and with the wheels on the left hand side free to move, the machine will turn to the right. When it is desired to turn left, the left hand side brakes are applied "in a similar manner and with like effect.

In Fig. 4 we have shown a modified form of our invention wherein we employ, in lieu of the nozzles 37 and their adjuncts, a series of rotating heads 104 which are provided with the washing nozzles 105, which penetrate and discharge clean water into the filter sand bed 38, and agitate the sand as the washing machine progresses. The number and particular design of the washing heads 104 is dictated by convenience and their specific structure being conventional need not be described in detail. In this modified form, a shaft 106 is connected to the engine 11 by the clutch 12, extends through the housing 107, and is provided with the bevel gear 108 which meshes with the gear 109 fast on the shaft 110, which is provided with the gear 111 which meshes with the gear 113 fast on the shaft 114. The shaft 114 is provided with the gear 115 which meshes with the gear 116 fast on the shaft 119 which carries the gears 120 which in turn mesh with the gears 117 to impart rotation to the stems 118 of the washing heads 104, the construction heretofore described being only shown diagrammatically, since the same is Well known in the art and conventional, but has not been heretofore used on a pontoon wheel device of this character. From Figs. 4 and 5 it will be i seen that our novel washing machine is equal- 1y adapted for use in connection with either the stationary type of washing nozzles 37 or with the revolving type of washing nozzles 105, as hereinabove set forth.

We have deemed it unnecessary to describe in detail the clutch and transmission mechanlsms, as any suitable conventional devices may be employed, and the same per se form no part of the present invention, which also applies to the washing devices seen in the centers of Figs. 1 and 4, and in Fig. 5.

It will further be apparent that in Fig. 2 we have purposely omitted various details at the center of the chassis for the sake of clearness of illustration.

We are aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential at- 3 tributes thereof, and we therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a filter sand washing machine of the character stated, a chassis, front and rear buoyant driving wheels, actuating means therefor, front and rear buoyant driven wheels, driving connections common to said driving and driven wheels, and means posidriving connections common to said driving and driven wheels, and means positioned intermediate said front andrear Wheels for agitating and Washing the filter sand.

3. In a filter sand washing machine of the character stated, a chassis, front and rear buoyant driving wheels, actuating means therefor, front and rear louoyant driven wheels, driving connections common to said driving and driven wheels, and brake mechanisms adapted to act independently on the driving Wheels on either side of the longi tudinal median line of said chassis, in comdrawing the turbider to a point of discharge bination with acentra'lly located, vertically adjustable Washing head, including washing nozzles for agitating the sand and forcing water thereinto, and means for Withoutside of the filter bed.

M. L. BAYARD. MINOR HARVEY. 

